Southwest Airlines Begins Nonstop Flights Between Nashville, Atlanta

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution said the airline launched the flights from Atlanta to Nashville, The Associated Press reported. Nashville International Airport celebrated the inaugural flight from BNA to Atlanta Tuesday.

Southwest Airlines Co. vice president of technical operations Trevor Stedke said in a statement when the airline announced the route in February that it answers business community requests in both cities.

Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority CEO Doug Kruelen says business people have long sought more service between Nashville and Atlanta. Kruelen says the route brings more competition and options. Delta Air Lines already flies the route.

Nashville International Airport served more than 14.9 million passengers in the fiscal year that ended in June, making it one of the nation’s fastest growing airports, The Tennessee Star previously reported.

The record makes Nashville International, or BNA, the fourth fastest growing airport among the top 50 airports in North America, the airport’s website said. BNA serves 450 daily flights to more than 65 nonstop markets. It is the 33rd busiest airport in the United States.

The 14.9 million passenger figure breaks last year’s record by more than 1.3 million passengers and marks the fifth consecutive year the airport has set a passenger record.

Southwest Airlines flew 12.6 billion revenue passenger miles (RPMs) in July 2018, an increase of 2.1 percent from the 12.4 billion RPMs flown in July 2017, the company recently announced. Available seat miles (ASMs) increased 3.2 percent to 14.6 billion in July 2018, compared with July 2017 ASMs of 14.2 billion. The July 2018 load factor was 86.3 percent, compared with 87.3 percent in July 2017.